Apparatus and method for providing electrical contact for planar material in straight through installations

Abstract

The invention relates to the electrical contacting of planar goods 1 in the form of segments in in-line plants for the electrolytic and / or wet chemical treatment of the treatment side 10 of the good by applying electrical external current while keeping the upper contacting side 9 dry and dipping the treatment side 10 into the treatment liquid 11. By use of the known transport systems having upper and lower transport and / or contact means, treatment liquid 11 is transferred from the lower means to the upper ones so that the top side of the good is often inadmissibly wetted and the upper contacts are electroplated, therefore needing to be continuously de-metallized, thus requiring a larger effort.According to the invention, the level is lowered in the region of upper contacts 6. Therefore, the same cannot be wetted, even when no good is present in the region of the contacts 6. This is achieved by means of down pipes 5 which are assigned to each contact 6. Even when in the relaxed state, the contacts do touch no treatment liquid, so that the top side of the good stays dry and the contacts do not require a de-metallization.

Description

[0001]This application is a 371 of PCT / EP2009 / 003298 filed on May 8, 2009.[0002]This application is a national phase application in the United States of America of PCT international patent application serial no. PCT / EP2009003298, filed on May 8, 2009, which claims priority to Germany patent application serial no. 10 2008 026 199.8, filed on May 30, 2008; the contents of each are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.[0003]The invention relates to the transport or the conveyance and to the electrical contacting of planar good in electrolytic or wet chemical in-line plants. The good relates to e.g. wafers, solar cells made of silicon, circuit boards, or hybrids, which have to be treated single-sidedly only in at least one process by applying an external current, e.g. electrolytically. Herewith the side of the good which must not be treated should not be wetted or contaminated by the treatment liquid. Even the slightest traces of wettings must be avoided in order to circum...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention provides a device for treating goods using an electrolyte. The device has conveying means and contact means on both sides of the good. The level of the electrolyte reaches up to the underside of the good for wet treatment, but it is lowered at least around the locations where the contact and conveying means are located, to prevent these areas from being wetted when there is no good in front of them. The device also has locally restricted acting overflows to achieve this lowering of the electrolyte level. This invention allows for better control and efficient treatment of goods.

Problems solved by technology

If only the underside of the good should or can be wetted, a significantly larger technical effort is necessary, at least in the case of an electrolytic treatment of the good.

However, this type of solution is unsuitable in the case of the present wet treatment, since particularly in the border regions undesired liquid would also reach the top side of the good through the capillary gap, which cannot be avoided without sealing means.

Upon additional use of sealing means, these would have to be pressed against the top side of the good with a relatively high surface pressure, which in turn could lead to damage or even breakage of the good.

However, an arrangement of sealing means on the underside naturally allows for only an incomplete treatment of the same, which is presently undesired.

However, this method for keeping the top side of the good dry is not intended for the electrolytic treatment of good.

This is impossible e.g. for the precious metals which are used in practice.

Therefore no de-metallization of the electroplated contacts is possible in this way.

However, these known upper contact means are wetted in the described lateral gaps between two goods which follow each other.

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